Work Text:
The train screeched to a stop, and you disembarked only partially ready for work this week. The weekend had been lonely like so many others since moving to the city, but maybe, just maybe, you'd make a new friend this week.
You drank from your thermos as you entered the agency. It was already bustling with heroes getting ready for their early morning patrols, and you waved to a few coworkers. There were a few cases that still had some paperwork left over from Friday to tackle and your afternoon scheduled patrol.
As you approached your desk and reached to turn on your computer, you stopped short. A simple white flower had been placed on your desk. If you guessed correctly, it was a peony, but they couldn’t be found anywhere around your hero agency. As you gazed around at your deskmates, no one seemed phased that you had discovered it. No one was making awkward eye contact to see your reaction, and the office was quiet except for the rhythmic buzzing of the lights overhead and the low chatter around you.
You turned on your heels and walked towards the kitchen at the end of the hall, saying your good mornings and greetings to all of the other pro heroes that had walked in as you stood confused at your desk. Opening one of the top cabinets, you retrieved a tall mug and filled it with water before returning to your desk. You placed the delicate bloom in the cup and placed it beside your computer.
It wasn’t out of the ordinary for heroes to receive flowers from grateful citizens or for PR stunts, but a single flower? There wasn’t even a note included to make their intentions known. It was still a gift nonetheless, and it looked quite lovely. The fragrance was nice as well, and you admired it before turning on your computer to tackle your awaiting email inbox, still confused as to what you could’ve done to warrant this small gift.
You had all but forgotten about the present that was left on your desk until you arrived the following day to another flower, this time a light blue forget-me-not, placed exactly where the previous one had been located. Furrowing your brow, you did a scan of the familiar faces in the room, but just like yesterday, no one seemed fazed by your reaction.
You happily placed it into the same mug and admired how the two flowers complimented each other. White and blue were a beautiful combination, like the fluffy clouds drifting across the sky on your morning commute. Though they were beautiful, there was no time to dwell on them when your patrol was about to start.
The next flowers on your desk were a few violets tied together with a small piece of white string to keep the bushel together. This was getting a little ridiculous now. At this point, you were beginning to become frustrated. The flowers were still beautiful, but you wish that you knew who they were from so that you could thank them properly.
Placing the tiny bouquet in the mug, you felt a weird longing. It was true that working in this city was lonely, almost too much at points. It hadn’t been that long since you had graduated high school and were quickly swept up into the awaiting arms of one of the multiple hero agencies that required your quirk. You had left your friends, your family, and everything that you knew for the greater good, to make a difference in the world, to be someone to be remembered.
No one had warned you how lonely you would be in pursuit of your goal, but even if your classmates or teachers would’ve thought to, you would’ve scoffed at them. Surely, you would make friends at your new agency! Hero agencies were known for having a cast of welcoming personalities, and when you had brought the last round of boxes into your new apartment in the city center, you were cheerfully optimistic of what the next few weeks would hold.
It was now several years later, and friendships were hard to come by when everyone was already friends with their patrol groups. This wasn’t to say that you hadn’t gone out with a few of your fellow heroes a few nights a month, but it seemed like they invited you more out of obligation than actual intentions of becoming closer. Knowing that someone in the agency was coming in every day to place flowers on your desk seemed like a good enough opportunity to make a connection. It was true that the intentions of the gift-giver were unknown at this time, but there must be a way to communicate with them considering that the person wanted to remain anonymous.
On your morning commute, you stopped by the florist’s shop and looked through the single flowers for sale in the back of the shop. Most of them were leftovers from bouquets or other larger orders. As your fingers touched each delicate blossom and petal, you wondered if the other person stopped here every morning too. If only you could wait long enough to see who came through the door...but you were already taking far too long.
You took one of the larger flowers up to the register, picked up a packet of flower food for the growing garden on your desk, and ran out the door, almost bumping into another hero on the way out. “I’m so, so sorry!” You shouted over your shoulder at the much taller man as you willed your legs forward to make your shift on time. Had you stayed longer, you would’ve caught the smallest blush on the hero’s face as he watched you scamper away to the agency next door. The briefest smile stretched across his face as he ducked into the shop. He carefully folded his arms before walking to the single flower section in the back.
A few of your coworkers raised their eyebrows at you as you strolled to your desk holding a single yellow daisy. It seemed like the perfect contrast to the blue and white flowers that you had been receiving, and you placed it into the ever growing garden of flowers in the mug on your desk. You peeled open the floral food that you had bought along with the daisy and poured it into the makeshift vase before stirring the liquid around with a spare pencil. Hopefully this would all work out for the best. The thought of friendship, and if you dared to hope, romantic interest, made your heart beat just a tad bit faster as you turned on your computer to start your day.
As you turned off your computer and the monitor’s light faded, you reached forward and removed the daisy from the mug and placed it in the same location as the other flowers that had been left for you. You were hoping that they knew that it was for them and wouldn’t leave it out all night, neglected and alone in the dark of the office. It was difficult to leave the office that night with the anticipation of knowing that your plan had been put into motion. At this point, you were hoping for anything from the other person. A single hint of their identity? A note?
Your mind had been wandering over the last few days, and the possibility that it was a fellow hero was all but certain. You were only away from the office for a few hours at the very end of your shift for your patrol, which meant that only the heroes that worked in the afternoon had the time and opportunity to accomplish their task. Your particular agency didn’t employ heroes for the overnight shift, and the doors were locked after all of the heroes had returned for the evening. You tossed and turned in bed that night, barely able to sleep with the anticipation of waking up the next morning and checking your desk.
And your flower was gone the next morning. It was difficult to keep from showing your excitement when you saw that it had been replaced with another white flower, this time a daffodil with a bright yellow center. As you picked it up to place it among its friends, you noticed the tiniest scrap of paper tied to the stem. Holding it close to your face, you could see that someone had clumsily drawn a heart on one side of the paper. You had asked for a clue, but this was direct.
The heart indicated that they were interested romantically...not just platonically. Your face flamed at the thought that you had a secret admirer here. How in the world would you approach them? To be fair, you couldn’t approach them right now without knowing their identity. But who was it? They were obviously shy and soft spoken if they wouldn’t come to you directly to ask you out on a date. This left a few candidates, but somehow you were no closer to an answer from when you walked in this morning.
Dropping the flower into the mug, you sighed before switching on your computer and plopping into your office chair. How in the world were you going to figure out who they were? And then it came to you.
Clicking through the settings of your desktop, you reactivated the webcam that was located at the top of the monitor. Maybe now you'd finally see who the culprit was! It would take a little bit of time to update since you'd never actually needed to use it before, but you could work on it after your patrol when the office was almost empty. Leaving your computer to update its software, you grabbed your phone and headed out to patrol your usual route.
As you wrapped up your report to the policeman at the scene of a botched robbery, you pulled out your phone only to realize what time it was. It was already 30 minutes past the end of your shift! You might've missed your…what would you even call it? Secret admirer? Sprinting down side streets, you all but plowed into the lobby of your agency and swung your head to your desk to see if they had left another present. To your surprise, you didn't see a flower. You saw a person.
Standing at your desk.
Holding a flower.
The dim lights gave little to the imagination, but you could tell that they were tall and muscular. Your heart began racing as you slowly approached the desk. The other person was staring at you as you got closer, seemingly frozen to the spot. Their features became clearer as you closed the distance. What you mistook for muscles were multiple limbs folded in on themselves. One of his hands dropped the flower onto your desk while another hurriedly pulled his signature mask over his nose and mouth.
Mezou Shouji.
You'd patrolled with him a few times, admiring his determination and how his physique didn't match his sweet temperament. He'd even saved you once last week, enclosing you with his arms as a villain threw an explosive your way in an attempt to escape.
Being surrounded by him, his body pressed tightly against yours as his heart thudded wildly against your chest…it had started the small attraction that flamed through you now with full force as you came to a stop in front of the dupli-armed hero.
As you stood in front of him, a light blush could be seen around the cusp of his mask. Dusty pink turned to a deeper crimson as one of his arms shot up to rub the back of his head, mussing up the stray strands that fell around his neck in the process.
“I...wasn’t expecting to get caught in the act,” Shouji quickly averted his eyes, narrowing them in the process. “...and I was really hoping to get to tell you myself when I was able to muster the courage to approach you…”
His voice continued to trail off as his arms dropped to cross over his chest.
“Yeah?” The tiniest smirk crossed your face as the blush continued to flame up his cheeks.
Still avoiding your gaze, he gulped before muttering a simple “...yeah.”
Leaning forward slightly, you braced yourself against his crossed arms and leaned up to his barely exposed cheek. His body tensed in your grasp as you gently placed your lips against the sharp cheekbone and lowered yourself back down. His right hand flew to the spot where your lips had just been. His eyes grew impossibly larger as he took in your much smaller form before him.
It was time for you to avert your eyes, and it was difficult to keep from shuffling in place as he intensely gazed down.
“Thank you, really. I'll be honest...I didn't expect it to be you. I'm glad that it was though." Taking a deep breath, you swallowed your courage and pushed forward. "Shouji? Do you want to grab some dinner? I haven't had a chance to eat since I started working. I'd love if you could join me. I mean, I haven't had a chance to properly thank you since you saved me last week."
It was hard to tell under the mask, but it seemed as if a slight smile had graced his lips.
"I'd love to, y/n."